Relief

Read Proverbs 14

People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.

Proverbs 14:29

At any given time, hundreds of thousands of people in our society are teetering on the edge of rage. And it’s not whom you might expect. They are young mothers who grow impatient on the freeway. They are wallflower employees who silently grow disgruntled, and quiet back-row students plotting revenge. They are apparently religious people who suddenly snap. News reports frequently detail how otherwise ordinary people in otherwise ordinary circumstances suddenly explode into extraordinary rage. And the mistakes they make are legion—verbal abuse, physical abuse, even murder. Anger can be deadly.

The Bible recognizes anger’s lethal potential and says we must control it. “Understanding” is the by-product of someone who has learned to control his or her temper. We begin to understand that we actually never “lose” our temper; we “choose” it. No one can “make” us mad. We choose our response of our own accord. Asking God for great understanding will help us think about our course of action.

A WORD FOR TODAY

Slow anger avoids mistakes.

Today, Lord, forgive me for “choosing” to lose my temper. Give me great understanding for how to control anger.